Semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

The semiconductor device includes a vertical Hall element that is provided in a first region of a semiconductor substrate and has a plurality of first electrodes, and a resistive element that is provided in a second region different from the first region in the semiconductor substrate and has a plurality of second electrodes. The plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are connected so that resistances of current paths are substantially the same in any phase in which the vertical Hall element is driven using a spinning current method.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of Japan patent application serialno. 2018-058445, filed on Mar. 26, 2018. The entirety of theabove-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by referenceherein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

The invention relates to a semiconductor device, and specifically, to asemiconductor device including a vertical Hall element configured todetect a magnetic field in a horizontal direction.

Description of Related Art

Hall elements can detect a position and an angle in a non-contact manneras magnetic sensors and thus can be used for various applications. Amongthese, while magnetic sensors using a horizontal Hall element configuredto detect a magnetic field component perpendicular to a surface of asemiconductor substrate (vertical magnetic field) are generally wellknown, various magnetic sensors using a vertical Hall element configuredto detect a magnetic field component parallel to the surface of thesubstrate (horizontal magnetic field) are also proposed.

Since it is difficult for vertical Hall elements to have a structurehaving high geometric symmetry, even at the absence of a magnetic field,a so-called offset voltage equal to or higher than that of horizontalHall elements is likely to be generated. Thus, when used in magneticsensors, it is necessary to remove such an offset voltage, and as amethod therefor, spinning current method is known.

As a method of removing an offset voltage using the spinning currentmethod, a method in which a direction of a flow of a drive current isswitched among four directions in a vertical Hall element including fiveelectrodes disposed at intervals on a straight line on a surface of asemiconductor substrate, while a magnetic field is applied in adirection parallel to the semiconductor substrate is known (for example,refer to FIG. 1 in European Patent No. 1438755). In this method, theoffset voltage is removed by addition and subtraction among the first tofourth output signals obtained as follows: the first output signal is apotential difference generated between two electrodes positioned on bothsides of the central electrode when a drive current flows from thecentral electrode to the electrodes at both ends (called a first phase);the second output signal is a potential difference generated between twoelectrodes positioned on both sides of the central electrode when adrive current flows in a direction opposite to that in the first phase(called a second phase); the third output signal is a potentialdifference generated between the central electrode and electrodes atboth ends when a drive current flows from one of two electrodespositioned on both sides of the central electrode to the other thereof(called a third phase); and the fourth output signal is a potentialdifference generated between the central electrode and electrodes atboth ends when a drive current flows in a direction opposite to that inthe third phase (called a fourth phase).

However, in the above method, since a resistance along the current pathin the first and second phases is different from a resistance along thecurrent path in the third and fourth phases, an offset voltage removalaccuracy is not very high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a semiconductor device including avertical Hall element that can remove an offset voltage according to thespinning current method with high accuracy.

A semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the inventionincludes a vertical Hall element that is provided in a first region of asemiconductor substrate and includes a first plurality of electrodesdisposed at intervals on a first straight line; and a resistive elementthat is provided in a second region different from the first region ofthe semiconductor substrate and includes a second plurality ofelectrodes disposed at intervals on a second straight line. The firstplurality of electrodes and the second plurality of electrodes areconnected so that resistances along each current path are substantiallythe same in any phase during driving of the vertical Hall element by thespinning current method.

According to one or some exemplary embodiments of the invention, thevertical Hall element and the resistive element are disposed as separateelements on the semiconductor substrate, and the plurality of electrodesof the vertical Hall element and the plurality of electrodes of theresistive element are connected so that resistances along each currentpath are substantially the same in any phase during driving of thevertical Hall element by the spinning current method. It is thereforepossible to remove an offset voltage with high accuracy using thespinning current method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining a semiconductor deviceincluding a vertical Hall element according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view for explaining a current path in which adirection of a current flowing through the vertical Hall element is setto a first state (a phase 1) in execution of the spinning current methodin the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 is performed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view for explaining a current path in which adirection of a current flowing through the vertical Hall element is setto a second state (a phase 2) in execution of the spinning currentmethod in the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 is performed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a current pathwhen a direction of a current flowing through the vertical Hall elementis set to the first state (the phase 1) in execution of the spinningcurrent method in the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 is performed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a current pathwhen a direction of a current flowing through the vertical Hall elementis set to the second state (the phase 2) in execution of the spinningcurrent method in the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 is performed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view for explaining a semiconductor deviceincluding a vertical Hall element according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view for explaining a current path in which adirection of a current flowing through the vertical Hall element is setto a first state (a phase 1) in execution of the spinning current methodin the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 6 is performed.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view for explaining a current path in which adirection of a current flowing through the vertical Hall element is setto a second state (a phase 2 in execution of the spinning current methodin the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 6 is performed.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view for explaining a semiconductor deviceincluding a vertical Hall element according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view for explaining a current path in whicha direction of a current flowing through the vertical Hall element isset to a first state (a phase 1) in execution of the spinning currentmethod in the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 9 is performed.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining a current path in whicha direction of a current flowing through the vertical Hall element isset to a second state (a phase 2) in execution of the spinning currentmethod in the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 9 is performed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments for implementing the invention will be described below indetail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG.5.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining a semiconductor device100 including a vertical Hall element according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor device 100 of the presentembodiment includes a vertical Hall element 11 and a resistive element21. The vertical Hall element 11 includes a plurality of electrodes 111to 115 disposed at intervals on a straight line L1-L1. The resistiveelement 21 includes a plurality of electrodes 211 to 215 disposed atintervals on a straight line L2-L2.

In the semiconductor device 100 of the present embodiment, theelectrodes 111 to 115 of the vertical Hall element 11 and the electrodes211 to 215 of the resistive element 21 are disposed so that intervalsbetween adjacent electrodes are all D1, and the vertical Hall element 11and the resistive element 21 have substantially the same structure.

In addition, for the vertical Hall element 11, a conductive line W1 isconnected to the electrode 111 and the electrode 115, a conductive lineW2 is connected to the electrode 112, a conductive line W3 is connectedto the electrode 113, and a conductive line W4 is connected to theelectrode 114. In this state, which is not shown and in which theresistive element 21 is not connected to the vertical Hall element 11, aresistance between the electrode 113 and the electrodes 111 and 115 ofthe vertical Hall element 11 is smaller than a resistance between theelectrode 112 and the electrode 114.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the electrode 212 of theresistive element 21 is connected to the electrode 112 of the verticalHall element 11 with the conductive line W2 and the electrode 214 of theresistive element 21 is connected to the electrode 114 of the verticalHall element 11 with the conductive line W4.

In this manner, in order to explain the effect obtained by connectingthe resistive element 21 to the vertical Hall element 11, a method ofdriving the vertical Hall element 11 using the spinning current methodin the semiconductor device 100 will be described below in detail.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are schematic plan views for explaining a current pathin which a direction of a current flowing through the vertical Hallelement 11 is set to a first state (a phase 1) and a second state (aphase 2) in execution of the spinning current method in thesemiconductor device 100.

In addition, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are diagrams schematically showing across-sectional structure of the device of the vertical Hall element 11along the line L1-L1 shown in FIG. 1 and a cross-sectional structure ofthe device of the resistive element 21 along the line L2-L2, and FIG. 4corresponds to the phase 1 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 corresponds to thephase 2 shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the vertical Hall element 11 and theresistive element 21 are formed in regions A and B of a P type (firstconductive type) semiconductor substrate 101. The region A and theregion B are electrically separated from each other due to a P typeelement isolation diffusion layer 103 formed on an N type (secondconductive type) semiconductor layer 102 provided on the semiconductorsubstrate 101. The electrodes 111 to 115 of the vertical Hall element 11and the electrodes 211 to 215 of the resistive element 21 are made of anN type impurity region with a higher concentration than thesemiconductor layer 102 provided adjacent to a surface of thesemiconductor layer 102 in the regions A and B.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in the phase 1, the drive current I issupplied from the conductive line W3 to the conductive line W1 so thatthe current flows from the electrode 113 to the electrode 111 and to theelectrode 115 of the vertical Hall element 11. A current path P1 in thephase 1 is constructed from a current path P1 a along which currentflows from the electrode 113 to the electrode 111 and a current path P1b along which current flows from the electrode 113 to the electrode 115both of which are connected in parallel. In the present embodiment, inthe electrodes 111 to 115 of the vertical Hall element 11 and theelectrodes 211 to 215 of the resistive element 21, intervals betweenadjacent electrodes are all D1, and thus resistances between electrodespositioned on both sides of one electrode are substantially the same,and the resistances are set as R1 here. Here, the resistances R1 are notcompletely the same due to variation or the like in a semiconductorproducing process, but they can be regarded as substantially the same.The resistance of the current path P1 is a parallel resistance of theresistance R1 of the current path P1 a and the resistance R1 of thecurrent path P1 b, and therefore becomes R1/2. In this case, a potentialdifference generated between the conductive line W2 and the conductiveline W4, that is, between the electrode 112 and the electrode 114 of thevertical Hall element 11, is set as an output signal in the phase 1.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, in the phase 2, thedrive current I is supplied from the conductive line W4 to theconductive line W2 so that the current flows from the electrode 114 tothe electrode 112 of the vertical Hall element 11. A current path P2 inthe phase 2 is no constructed from only a current path P2 a along whichcurrent flows from the electrode 114 to the electrode 112 in thevertical Hall element 11, but is also constructed from a current path P2b along which current flows from the electrode 214 to the electrode 212in the resistive element 21 both of which are connected in parallel. Theresistance of the current path P2 is a parallel resistance of theresistance R1 of the current path P2 a and the resistance R1 of thecurrent path P2 b, and therefore becomes R1/2. That is, the resistanceof the current path P2 can be made equal to the resistance of thecurrent path P1 in the phase 1. In this case, a potential differencegenerated between the conductive line W1 and the conductive line W3,that is, between the electrode 113, and the electrodes 111 and 115 ofthe vertical Hall element 11, is set as an output signal in the phase 2.

In addition, although not shown, a resistance of a current path P3 in athird state (a phase 3) in which the drive current I is supplied to thevertical Hall element 11 in a direction opposite to that in the phase 1shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 can be made equal to the resistances of thecurrent path P1 and the current path P2. In this case, a potentialdifference generated between the conductive line W2 and the conductiveline W4, that is, between the electrode 112 and the electrode 114 of thevertical Hall element 11, is set as an output signal in the phase 3. Inaddition, a resistance of a current path P4 in a fourth state (a phase4) in which the drive current I is supplied to the vertical Hall element11 in a direction opposite to that in the phase 2 shown in FIG. 3 andFIG. 5 can be made equal to the resistances of the current paths P1, P2,and P3. In this case, a potential difference generated between theconductive line W1 and the conductive line W3, that is, between theelectrodes 111 and 115, and the electrode 113 of the vertical Hallelement 11, is set as an output signal in the phase 4.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, the electrode 212of the resistive element 21 is connected to the electrode 112 of thevertical Hall element 11, and the electrode 214 of the resistive element21 is connected to the electrode 114 of the vertical Hall element 11.All of the resistance of the current path P1 in the phase 1, theresistance of the current path P2 in the phase 2, the resistance of thecurrent path P3 in the phase 3, and the resistance of the current pathP4 in the phase 4 can thus be made substantially equal to each other.

Addition and subtraction of the four output signals obtained from eachof the phases enables removal of the offset voltage with high accuracy.

Second Embodiment

The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG.8.

A case in which intervals between adjacent electrodes in the verticalHall element are constant (all D1) has been exemplified in the firstembodiment. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, an examplewill be described in which resistances of current paths in phases aremade equal in execution of the spinning current method when theintervals between adjacent electrodes in a vertical Hall element are notconstant.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view for explaining a semiconductor device200 including a vertical Hall element according to the secondembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the semiconductor device 200 of the presentembodiment includes a vertical Hall element 12 and a resistive element22. The vertical Hall element 12 has a vertical Hall element part 12 aincluding a plurality of electrodes 121 a to 125 a disposed at intervalson a straight line L3 a-L3 a, and a vertical Hall element part 12 bincluding a plurality of electrodes 121 b to 125 b disposed at intervalson a straight line L3 b-L3 b. The resistive element 22 includes aplurality of electrodes 221 to 225 disposed at intervals on a straightline L4-L4.

In the semiconductor device 200 of the present embodiment, theelectrodes 121 a to 125 a of the vertical Hall element part 12 a, theelectrodes 121 b to 125 b of the vertical Hall element part 12 b, andthe electrodes 221 to 225 of the resistive element 22 are disposed sothat intervals between three adjacent electrodes at the center are allD2, and intervals between electrodes at both ends and one electrode onthe inner side are all D3 which is larger than D2, and the vertical Hallelement part 12 a, the vertical Hall element part 12 b, and theresistive element 22 have substantially the same structure.

In addition, for the vertical Hall element parts 12 a and 12 b, theconductive line W1 is connected to the electrodes 121 a, 121 b, 125 a,and 125 b, the conductive line W2 is connected to the electrodes 122 aand 122 b, the conductive line W3 is connected to the electrodes 123 aand 123 b, and the conductive line W4 is connected to the electrodes 124a and 124 b. In this state, which is not shown and in which theresistive element 22 is not connected to the vertical Hall element 12, aresistance between the electrodes 123 a and 123 b of the vertical Hallelement 12, and the electrodes 121 a and 121 b and the electrodes 125 aand 125 b is smaller than a resistance between the electrodes 122 a and122 b and the electrodes 124 a and 124 b.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the electrode 222 of theresistive element 22 is connected to the electrodes 122 a and 122 b ofthe vertical Hall element 12 with the conductive line W2, and theelectrode 224 of the resistive element 22 is connected to the electrodes124 a and 124 b of the vertical Hall element 12 with the conductive lineW4.

In this manner, in order to explain the effect obtained by connectingthe resistive element 22 to the vertical Hall element 12, a method ofdriving the vertical Hall element 12 using the spinning current methodin the semiconductor device 200 will be described below in detail.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are schematic plan views for explaining a current pathin which a direction of a current flowing through the vertical Hallelement 12 is set to a first state (a phase 1) and a second state (aphase 2) in execution of the spinning current method in thesemiconductor device 200.

Here, cross-sectional structures of devices of the vertical Hall elementpart 12 a, the vertical Hall element part 12 b, and the resistiveelement 22 in the present embodiment are substantially the same as thoseof the vertical Hall element 11 and the resistive element 21 in thefirst embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 except for differentintervals between electrodes, and descriptions thereof will be omittedhere.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the phase 1, the drive current I is supplied fromthe conductive line W3 to the conductive line W1 so that the currentflows from the electrodes 123 a and 123 b to the electrodes 121 a and121 b, and the electrodes 125 a and 125 b of the vertical Hall element12. The current path P1 in the phase 1 is constructed from the currentpath P1 a along which current flows from the electrode 123 a to theelectrode 121 a in the vertical Hall element part 12 a, the current pathP1 b along which current flows from the electrode 123 a to the electrode125 a in the vertical Hall element part 12 a, a current path P1 c alongwhich current flows from the electrode 123 b to the electrode 121 b inthe vertical Hall element part 12 b, and a current path P1 d along whichcurrent flows from the electrode 123 b to the electrode 125 b in thevertical Hall element part 12 b, all of which are connected in parallel.

In the present embodiment, since the electrodes 121 a to 125 a of thevertical Hall element part 12 a, the electrodes 121 b to 125 b of thevertical Hall element part 12 b, and the electrodes 221 to 225 of theresistive element 22 are disposed at the intervals described above, adistance between the central electrodes 123 a, 123 b, and 223 in onevertical Hall element part or the resistive element and the electrodes121 a, 121 b, and 221, or 125 a, 125 b, and 225 at the end is longerthan a distance between electrodes positioned on both sides of thecentral electrode (between 122 a and 124 a, between 122 b and 124 b, andbetween 222 and 224). The resistance between the central electrode andthe electrode at the end is larger than the resistance betweenelectrodes positioned on both sides of the central electrode. Theseresistances are substantially the same and are set as R2 here.

The resistance of the current path P1 is a parallel resistance of theresistance R2 of the current path P1 a, the resistance R2 of the currentpath P1 b, the resistance R2 of the current path P1 c, and theresistance R2 of the current path P1 d, and therefore becomes R2/4. Inthis case, a potential difference generated between the conductive lineW2 and the conductive line W4, that is, between the electrodes 122 a and122 b, and the electrodes 124 a and 124 b of the vertical Hall element12, is set as an output signal in the phase 1.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, in the phase 2, the drive currentI is supplied from the conductive line W4 to the conductive line W2 sothat the current flows from the electrodes 124 a and 124 b to theelectrodes 122 a and 122 b of the vertical Hall element 12. The currentpath P2 in the phase 2 is constructed from the current path P2 a alongwhich current flows from the electrode 124 a to the electrode 122 a inthe vertical Hall element part 12 a, the current path P2 b along whichcurrent flows from the electrode 224 to the electrode 222 in theresistive element 22, and a current path P2 c along which current flowsfrom the electrode 124 b to the electrode 122 b in the vertical Hallelement part 12 b, all of which are connected in parallel.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the resistance betweenelectrodes positioned on both sides of the central electrode is smallerthan the resistance R2 between the central electrode and the electrodeat the end. These resistances are substantially the same and are set asR3 here. In addition, R2:R3=4:3 is supposed.

The resistance of the current path P2 is a parallel resistance of theresistance R3 of the current path P2 a, the resistance R3 of the currentpath P2 b, and the resistance R3 of the current path P2 c, and thereforebecomes R3/3. As described above, since R2:R3=4:3 is supposed, theresistance R3/3 of the current path P2 in the phase 2 can be made equalto the resistance R2/4 of the current path P1 in the phase 1. In thiscase, a potential difference generated between the conductive line W1and the conductive line W3, that is, between the electrodes 121 a and121 b and 125 a and 125 b, and the electrodes 123 a and 123 b of thevertical Hall element 12, is set as an output signal in the phase 2.

In addition, although not shown, the resistance of the current path P3in the third state (a phase 3) in which the drive current is supplied tothe vertical Hall element 12 in a direction opposite to that of thephase 1 shown in FIG. 7 can be made equal to resistances of the currentpath P1 and the current path P2. In this case, a potential differencegenerated between the conductive line W2 and the conductive line W4,that is, between the electrodes 122 a and 122 b, and the electrodes 124a and 124 b of the vertical Hall element 12, is set as an output signalin the phase 3. In addition, the resistance of the current path P4 inthe fourth state (a phase 4) in which the drive current is supplied tothe vertical Hall element 12 in a direction opposite to that of thephase 2 shown in FIG. 8 can be made equal to resistances of the currentpaths P1, P2, and P3. In this case, a potential difference generatedbetween the conductive line W1 and the conductive line W3, that is,between the electrodes 121 a and 121 b and 125 a and 125 b, and theelectrodes 123 a and 123 b of the vertical Hall element 12, is set as anoutput signal in the phase 4.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, since the electrode222 of the resistive element 22 is connected to the electrodes 122 a and122 b of the vertical Hall element 12 and the electrode 224 of theresistive element 22 is connected to the electrodes 124 a and 124 b ofthe vertical Hall element 12, all of the resistance of the current pathP1 in the phase 1, the resistance of the current path P2 in the phase 2,the resistance of the current path P3 in the phase 3, and the resistanceof the current path P4 in the phase 4 can be made substantially equal toeach other.

In the present embodiment also, addition and subtraction of the fouroutput signals obtained from each of the phases enables removal of theoffset voltage with high accuracy.

Third Embodiment

The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9 to FIG.11.

In the first and second embodiments, examples have been described inwhich a resistive element is appropriately connected to the verticalHall element so that a current path is added in parallel to a currentpath having a larger resistance, thereby reducing the resistance of thecurrent path having a larger resistance substantially to coincide withthe resistance of the current path having a smaller resistance in twodifferent current paths among four phases in execution of the spinningcurrent method in the vertical Hall element resistive element. On theother hand, in the present embodiment, an example is described in whicha resistive element is appropriately connected to the vertical Hallelement so that current paths are added in series to a current pathhaving a smaller resistance, and thus a resistance of a current pathhaving a smaller resistance is substantially increased to coincide witha resistance of a current path having a larger resistance.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view for explaining a semiconductor device300 including the vertical Hall element according to the thirdembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the semiconductor device 300 of the presentembodiment includes a vertical Hall element 13 and a resistive element23. The vertical Hall element 13 has a vertical Hall element part 13 aincluding a plurality of electrodes 131 a to 135 a disposed at intervalson a straight line L5 a-L5 a, and a vertical Hall element part 13 bincluding a plurality of electrodes 131 b to 135 b disposed at intervalson a straight line L5 b-L5 b. The resistive element 23 has a resistiveelement part 23 a including a plurality of electrodes 231 a to 235 adisposed at intervals on a straight line L6 a-L6 a, and a resistiveelement part 23 b including a plurality of electrodes 231 b to 235 bdisposed at intervals on a straight line L6 b-L6 b.

In the semiconductor device 300 of the present embodiment, theelectrodes 131 a to 135 a of the vertical Hall element part 13 a, theelectrodes 131 b to 135 b of the vertical Hall element part 13 b, theelectrodes 231 a to 235 a of the resistive element part 23 a, and theelectrodes 231 b to 235 b of the resistive element part 23 b aredisposed so that intervals between three adjacent electrodes at thecenter are all D4 and intervals between electrodes at both ends and oneelectrode on the inner side are all D5 which is smaller than D4, and thevertical Hall element part 13 a, the vertical Hall element part 13 b,the resistive element part 23 a, and the resistive element part 23 bhave substantially the same structure.

In addition, for the vertical Hall element parts 13 a and 13 b, theconductive line W1 is connected to the electrodes 131 a, 131 b, 135 a,and 135 b, the conductive line W2 is connected to the electrodes 132 aand 132 b, the conductive line W3 is connected to the electrodes 133 aand 133 b, and the conductive line W4 is connected to the electrodes 134a and 134 b. In this state, which is not shown, and in which theresistive element 23 is not connected to the vertical Hall element 13, aresistance between the electrodes 133 a and 133 b of the vertical Hallelement 13, and the electrodes 131 a and 131 b and the electrodes 135 aand 135 b is smaller than a resistance between the electrodes 132 a and132 b, and the electrodes 134 a and 134 b.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the electrodes 231 a and235 a of the resistive element part 23 a are connected to the electrodes133 a and 133 b of the vertical Hall element 13 with the conductive lineW3, the electrode 233 b of the resistive element part 23 b is connectedto the electrodes 131 a, 131 b, 135 a, and 135 b of the vertical Hallelement 13 with the conductive line W1, and additionally, a conductiveline W5 is connected to the electrode 233 a of the resistive elementpart 23 a, and a conductive line W6 is connected to the electrodes 231 band 235 b of the resistive element part 23 b.

In this manner, in order to explain the effect obtained by connectingthe resistive element 23 to the vertical Hall element 13, a method ofdriving the vertical Hall element 13 using the spinning current methodin the semiconductor device 300 will be described below in detail.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are schematic plan views for explaining a currentpath in which a direction of a current flowing through the vertical Hallelement 13 is set to a first state (a phase 1) and a second state (aphase 2) in execution of the spinning current method in thesemiconductor device 300.

Here, cross-sectional structures of devices of the vertical Hall elementpart 13 a, the vertical Hall element part 13 b, the resistive elementpart 23 a, and the resistive element part 23 b in the present embodimentare substantially the same as those of the vertical Hall element 11 andthe resistive element 21 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 andFIG. 5 except for different intervals between electrodes, anddescriptions thereof will be omitted here.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the phase 1, the drive current I is suppliedfrom the conductive line W5 to the conductive line W6 so that thecurrent flows from the electrodes 133 a and 133 b to the electrodes 131a and 131 b and the electrodes 135 a and 135 b of the vertical Hallelement 13. The current path P1 in the phase 1 includes the current pathP1 a along which current flows from the electrode 233 a to the electrode231 a in the resistive element part 23 a, the current path P1 b alongwhich current flows from the electrode 233 a to the electrode 235 a inthe resistive element part 23 a, the current path P1 c along whichcurrent flows from the electrode 133 a to the electrode 131 a in thevertical Hall element part 13 a, the current path P1 d along whichcurrent flows from the electrode 133 a to the electrode 135 a in thevertical Hall element part 13 a, a current path P1 e along which currentflows from the electrode 133 b to the electrode 131 b in the verticalHall element part 13 b, a current path P1 f along which current flowsfrom the electrode 133 b to the electrode 135 b in the vertical Hallelement part 13 b, a current path P1 g along which current flows fromthe electrode 233 b to the electrode 231 b in the resistive element part23 b, and a current path P1 h along which current flows from theelectrode 233 b to the electrode 235 b in the resistive element part 23b. More specifically, the current path P1 is constructed from a seriesconnection of a parallel path including the current paths P1 a and P1 b,a parallel path including the current paths P1 c, P1 d, P1 e, and P1 f,and a parallel path including the current paths P1 g and P1 h.

In the present embodiment, since the electrodes 131 a to 135 a of thevertical Hall element part 13 a, the electrodes 131 b to 135 b of thevertical Hall element part 13 b, the electrodes 231 a to 235 a of theresistive element part 23 a, and the electrodes 231 b to 235 b of theresistive element part 23 b are disposed at the intervals describedabove, a distance between electrodes (between 132 a and 134 a, between132 b and 134 b, between 232 a and 234 a, and between 232 b and 234 b)positioned on both sides of the central electrode in one vertical Hallelement part or the resistive element part is longer than a distancebetween the central electrodes 133 a, 133 b, 233 a, and 233 b, and theelectrodes 131 a, 131 b, 231 a, and 231 b, or 135 a, 135 b, 235 a, and235 b at the end. Since the width of the electrodes positioned on bothsides of the central electrode is narrow, the resistance between thecentral electrode and the electrode at the end is smaller than theresistance between electrodes positioned on both sides of the centralelectrode. These resistances are substantially the same and are set asR4 here.

The resistance of the current path P1 is a series resistance of aparallel resistance R4/2 of the resistance R4 of the current path P1 aand the resistance R4 of the current path P1 b, a parallel resistanceR4/4 of the resistance R4 of the current path P1 c, the resistance R4 ofthe current path P1 d, the resistance R4 of the current path P1 e, andthe resistance R4 of the current path P1 f, and a parallel resistanceR4/2 of the resistance R4 of the current path P1 g and the resistance R4of the current path P1 h, and therefore becomes (5×R4)/4. In this case,a potential difference generated between the conductive line W2 and theconductive line W4, that is, between the electrodes 132 a and 132 b andthe electrodes 134 a and 134 b of the vertical Hall element 13, is setas an output signal in the phase 1.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, in the phase 2, the drivecurrent I is supplied from the conductive line W4 to the conductive lineW2 so that the current flows from the electrodes 134 a and 134 b to theelectrodes 132 a and 132 b of the vertical Hall element 13. The currentpath P2 in the phase 2 is constructed from the current path P2 a alongwhich current flows from the electrode 134 a to the electrode 132 a inthe vertical Hall element part 13 a and the current path P2 b alongwhich current flows from the electrode 134 b to the electrode 132 b inthe vertical Hall element part 13 b, both of which are connected inparallel.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the resistance betweenelectrodes positioned on both sides of the central electrode is largerthan the resistance R4 between the central electrode and the electrodeat the end. These resistances are substantially the same and are set asR5 here. In addition, R4:R5=2:5 is supposed.

The resistance of the current path P2 is a parallel resistance of theresistance R5 of the current path P2 a and the resistance R5 of thecurrent path P2 b, and therefore becomes R5/2. As described above, sinceR4:R5=2:5 is supposed, the resistance R5/2 of the current path P2 can bemade equal to the resistance (5×R4)/4 of the current path P1 in thephase 1. In this case, a potential difference generated between theconductive line W1 and the conductive line W3, that is, between theelectrodes 131 a and 131 b, and 135 a and 135 b, and the electrodes 133a and 133 b, is set as an output signal in the phase 2.

In addition, although not shown, the resistance of the current path P3in the third state (a phase 3) in which the drive current is supplied tothe vertical Hall element 13 in a direction opposite to that of thephase 1 shown in FIG. 10 can be made approximately equal to resistancesof the current path P1 and the current path P2. In this case, thepotential difference generated between the conductive line W2 and theconductive line W4, that is, between the electrodes 132 a and 132 b andthe electrodes 134 a and 134 b, is set as an output signal in the phase3. In addition, a resistance of the current path P4 in the fourth state(a phase 4) in which the drive current is supplied to the vertical Hallelement 13 in a direction opposite to that of the phase 2 shown in FIG.11 can be made approximately equal to resistances of the current pathsP1, P2, and P3. In this case, the potential difference generated betweenthe conductive line W1 and the conductive line W3, that is, between theelectrodes 131 a and 131 b, and 135 a, and 135 b, and the electrodes 133a and 133 b, is set as an output signal in the phase 4.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, since the electrode231 a and the electrode 235 a of the resistive element part 23 a areconnected to the electrodes 133 a and 133 b of the vertical Hall element13, and the electrode 233 b of the resistive element part 23 b isconnected to the electrodes 131 a, 131 b, 135 a, and 135 b of thevertical Hall element 13, and additionally, the conductive line W5 isconnected to the electrode 233 a of the resistive element part 23 a andthe conductive line W6 is connected to the electrode 231 b and theelectrode 235 b of the resistive element part 23 b, all of theresistances of the current path P1 in the phase 1, the resistance of thecurrent path P2 in the phase 2, the resistance of the current path P3 inthe phase 3 and the resistance of the current path P4 in the phase 4 canbe made substantially equal to each other.

In the present embodiment also, addition and subtraction of the fouroutput signals obtained from each of the phases enables removal of theoffset voltage with high accuracy.

While the embodiments of the invention have been described above, theinvention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it should benoted that various modifications can be made without departing from thesprit and scope of the invention.

For example, in FIGS. 1 to 11 for explaining the first to thirdembodiments, the resistive element is disposed in parallel to thevertical Hall element on the drawings. However, the resistive elementcan be disposed in any direction, such as in a direction perpendicularto the vertical Hall element.

While the vertical Hall element including two vertical Hall elementparts has been exemplified in the second and third embodiments, thevertical Hall element may include three or more vertical Hall elementparts.

While the resistive element including two resistive element parts hasbeen exemplified in the third embodiment, the resistive element mayinclude three or more resistive element parts.

The vertical Hall element and the resistive element do not necessarilyhave the same structure, and the resistive element may have a structuredifferent from that of the vertical Hall element as long as it can beconnected to the vertical Hall element so that resistances of currentpaths in phases when the spinning current method is performed can beequal to each other.

In the first to third embodiments, a current path between two electrodeswith one electrode therebetween in the resistive element, that is, acurrent path equivalent to a current path of the current flowing throughthe vertical Hall element, is connected to the vertical Hall element inparallel or in series. However, it is sufficient to appropriatelyconnect the resistive element to the vertical Hall element so thatresistances of current paths in phases are made equal to each other inexecution of the spinning current method in the vertical Hall element.For example, a current path between two adjacent electrodes in theresistive element can be connected to the vertical Hall element inparallel or in series.

While the resistive elements 21 to 23 that are provided as dedicatedresistive elements have been exemplified in the first to thirdembodiments, the embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto.For example, in the first embodiment, a vertical Hall element or ahorizontal Hall element that is separately provided from the verticalHall element 11 and is not used as a detecting element during detectionof a magnetic field by the vertical Hall element 11 may be used as aresistive element in place of the resistive element 21.

While the vertical Hall element or the vertical Hall element part eachincluding five electrodes has been exemplified in the first to thirdembodiments, the number of electrodes is not limited as long as it ispossible to remove an offset voltage using the spinning current method.

In the first to third embodiments, the first conductive type isdescribed as P type, and the second conductive type is described as Ntype. However, the conductive type may be changed, for example, thefirst conductive type may be set as N type, and the second conductivetype may be set as P type.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a verticalHall element provided in a first region of a semiconductor substrate andhaving a plurality of first electrodes, the plurality of firstelectrodes including at least five electrodes disposed at intervals on astraight line; and a resistive element provided in a second regiondifferent from the first region of the semiconductor substrate, havingsubstantially the same structure as the vertical Hall element, andhaving a plurality of second electrodes, wherein three electrodes of theplurality of first electrodes are connected such that a current pathfrom an electrode at one end of the three electrodes to a centralelectrode is in parallel with a current path from an electrode at theother end to the central electrode, so as to form a first current pathused in a spinning current method, two electrodes other than the threeelectrodes of the plurality of first electrodes are connected such thata current path between the two electrodes of the plurality of firstelectrodes is in parallel with a current path between two electrodes ofthe plurality of second electrodes of the resistive element, so as toform a second current path used in the spinning current method, and aresistance of the first current path is substantially the same as aresistance of the second current path.
 2. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrodescomprises a plurality of third electrodes and a plurality of fourthelectrodes equal in number to the plurality of third electrodes; and thevertical Hall element comprises a first vertical Hall element parthaving the plurality of third electrodes and a second vertical Hallelement part having the plurality of fourth electrodes.
 3. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the first verticalHall element part, the second vertical Hall element part, and theresistive element have substantially the same structure.
 4. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality ofsecond electrodes comprises a plurality of fifth electrodes and aplurality of sixth electrodes equal in number to the plurality of fifthelectrodes; and the resistive element comprises a first resistiveelement part having the plurality of fifth electrodes and a secondresistive element part having the plurality of sixth electrodes.
 5. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the vertical Hallelement, the first resistive element part, and the second resistiveelement part have substantially the same structure.
 6. The semiconductordevice according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of second electrodescomprises a plurality of fifth electrodes and a plurality of sixthelectrodes equal in number to the plurality of fifth electrodes; and theresistive element comprises a first resistive element part having theplurality of fifth electrodes and a second resistive element part havingthe plurality of sixth electrodes.
 7. The semiconductor device accordingto claim 6, wherein the first vertical Hall element part, the secondvertical Hall element part, the first resistive element part, and thesecond resistive element part have substantially the same structure. 8.The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the two currentpaths between neighboring electrodes of the three electrodes connectedin parallel in the first current path have substantially the sameresistances.
 9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, whereinthe current path between the two electrodes of the plurality of firstelectrodes and the current path between the two electrodes of theplurality of second electrodes connected in parallel in the secondcurrent path have substantially the same resistances.
 10. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein at least one intervalbetween the electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes is not thesame.